Improved Sexual Function through Yoga Practice: Unveiling Its Advantages
Yoga and Its Impact on Sexual Function: A Closer Look at the Research
The internet is brimming with testimonials and advice from wellness bloggers advocating yoga as a means to optimize sexual health. Recent studies, however, seek to provide empirical evidence as to whether the practice has a significant impact on one's bedroom experiences. Here we investigate.
Yoga's holistic approach offers numerous potential health benefits such as alleviating stress, depression, and anxiety, and managing various metabolic conditions. One key component that is being explored in relation to sexual function is the impact of yoga on inflammation and stress response in the body.
By reducing the body's inflammatory response, lowering cortisol levels, and boosting a protein crucial for brain growth and health, yoga might enhance sensual well-being. Many practices even claim the sensation of achieve orgasms without ejaculation, a concept often labeled 'coregasms.'
Can yoga's rejuvenating poses translate to improved sexual experiences? Let's delve into the research.
Yoga's influence on Sexual Health in Women
In a study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, yoga demonstrated an ability to enhance sexual function in women, particularly in those aged 45 and over. The researchers examined the effects of 12 weeks of yoga on 40 women, reporting significant improvements in overall sexual function across various aspects such as pleasure, desire, arousal, and satisfaction. Approximately 75% of the participants noted improvements in their sex life after yoga training. A wide variety of poses including trikonasana (triangle pose), bhujangasana (snake pose), and ardha matsyendra mudra (half spinal twist) are believed to contribute to these benefits.
Yoga and Men's Satisfaction
Yoga is not exclusively beneficial for women. An analogous study under the guidance of Dr. Vikas Dhikav, a neurologist at India's Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, shed light on the effects of a 12-week yoga program on men's sexual satisfaction. At the conclusion of the study, participants reported notable improvements across all aspects of male sexual satisfaction, including desire, intercourse satisfaction, performance, confidence, partner synchronization, erection, ejaculatory control, and orgasm.
A trial carried out by the same research team found that yoga constitutes a viable and nonpharmacological alternative to fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating premature ejaculation.
Yoga's Mechanisms for Better Sex
So, how exactly does yoga contribute to enhanced sexual function? Researchers at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, have endeavored to elucidate some of the mechanisms at play. Yoga, they posit, helps regulate attention, breathing, reduce anxiety, lower stress, and activate the nervous system that encourages relaxation. All these effects are associated with improved sexual response, leading experts to conclude it is "reasonable to associate yoga with improvements in sexual health."
A mechanism unique to yoga, Moola Bandha, has garnered attention. The practice helps stimulate the sensory-motor and autonomic nervous systems in the pelvic region, directly affecting the gonads and perineal body/cervix. Research has suggested that practicing Moola Bandha might help women alleviate period pain, childbirth pain, and resolve sexual difficulties, while men have reported improved testosterone secretion.
The Evidence
While it's tempting to become overly excited about yoga's potential sexual benefits, it is crucial to acknowledge the existing gap between empirical and anecdotal evidence. With the abundance of Internet testimonials, scientific studies examining yoga's benefits for sexual function remain scarce. Furthermore, many of the studies, including those highlighting improvements in sexual satisfaction and function for both men and women, have a small sample size and lack a control group. However, newer studies focusing on women with both sexual dysfunction and other conditions have yielded stronger evidence and more promising results.
In conclusion, while additional research is required to uphold yoga's benefits for sexual health, the existing evidence provides promising insights. Factor in the multitude of other physical, mental, and emotional advantages attributed to yoga, and it seems a worthwhile pursuit for enhancing overall well-being – and potentially happiness in the bedroom.
- Yoga, through its impact on inflammation and stress response in the body, might enhance sensual well-being, potentially leading to improved sexual experiences.
- A study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine showed that a 12-week yoga program significantly improved sexual function in women, particularly those aged 45 and over, with approximately 75% of the participants noting improvements in their sex life.
- Research suggests that yoga, through mechanisms like Moola Bandha, helps regulate attention, reduce anxiety, lower stress, and activate the nervous system that encourages relaxation, contributing to improved sexual response. However, scientific studies examining yoga's benefits for sexual function remain scarce, necessitating further research to fully uphold its benefits for sexual health.
